Exhibition "Exemplary buildings in Bavaria"

The traveling exhibition of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects at the VHS Hofer Land shows how energy-efficient and sustainable building works until May 17.

Rednerin mit Mikrofon an Stehtisch wendet sich an das Publikum. — Mayor Eva Döhla welcomes visitors to the exhibition opening.

Mehrere Dutzend Menschen in einem großen Saal hören einem Redner zu. — Architect Uwe Fickenscher talks about sustainable building.

Focus on sustainability

Energy efficiency and sustainability is the main theme of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects' touring exhibition "BEISPIELHAFTE BAUTEN", which is now being shown in Hof for the first time ever. The Bund Deutscher Baumeister, Architekten und Ingenieure e.V., BDB-Bezirksgruppe Hof, invited interested parties and the professional public to the event at the Hof adult education center.

In her welcoming address, Mayor Eva Döhla was also surprised by the extraordinarily high attendance at a specialist event in her home town: "This shows that the topic of construction and sustainability now plays a major role in our city. The citizens and the city see the responsibility they have for the future when it comes to their homes."

Uwe Fickenscher, architect and builder of the Hofer Sonnenhaus, which is shown as a showcase project in the exhibition, emphasized the importance of humane and sustainable architecture in his introductory words: "Like food, drink and clothing, living, being thoughtful, is one of people's basic needs." And because houses usually last a little longer, decisions on building, architecture or renovation are often valid for a lifetime and beyond.

44 exemplary building projects

The "BEISPIELHAFTE BAUTEN" exhibition by the Bavarian Chamber of Architects shows photos, graphics, plans and relevant project information on uses, energy efficiency, building envelopes and choice of materials. In this way, 44 exemplary building projects from all administrative districts of Bavaria are presented to the public - new buildings and renovations of old buildings and a wide variety of building types. They are intended to show what future-oriented architecture can look like and motivate people to implement it themselves.

Prof. Clemens Richarz, 1st Vice President of the Bavarian Chamber of Architects, played a key role in the touring exhibition and gave a keynote speech on the evening. As a retiree, he finally has enough time to devote himself to the topics of energy efficiency and sustainability in construction. He began by using powerful words and data to highlight the need for sustainable thinking in the construction industry. "The construction and housing sector makes a significant contribution to the pollution of our environment with CO2 and land consumption," said Richarz. We cannot continue to operate as we have for the last 50 years.

Making clever use of old buildings

Energy efficiency and sustainability have two aspects in construction. On the one hand, all building materials used, such as cement or wood, must be considered in terms of their impact on the climate. The production and transportation of building materials also play a major role. "If you take the lifetime of a building as 50 years, these costs and burdens are divided accordingly by 50", but the running costs for energy, water, maintenance and repairs are incurred practically every year and are therefore much higher and a constant burden. "Good thermal insulation, even if it seems quite expensive, is also worthwhile over time in any old building," says the expert. The fact that new buildings should be constructed according to the latest possibilities is actually a matter of course. "With good planning and state-of-the-art technology, even zero-energy houses are possible," as the exhibition impressively demonstrated. The professor emeritus also took up the cudgels for the continued use of old buildings. "Yes, with good planning, even listed buildings can offer the highest quality of life for many years to come and preserve the famous 'gray energy' that has been in them for decades or even centuries for years to come."

Babett Niclas (harp) and Peter Hofmann (saxophone) provided the musical backdrop to the exhibition opening in the atrium of the VHS Hofer Land, a building whose origins date back to before the last fire in the city of Hof. "Good architecture and sustainable construction are long-lasting and can also be used in a variety of ways," concluded Uwe Fickenscher, congratulating Hofer Land on this old/new gem.

The traveling exhibition "BEISPIELHAFTE BAUTEN" can be explored until May 17, 2024 during the opening hours of the VHS Hofer Land in Hofer Ludwigstraße.

Text: Udo Benker-Wienands